Archive for September, 2011

We have the first two, we really could use the third item to make the most use of the first. Firearms Preemption Enforceable Tomorrow. As you probably know, we worked hard during the last legislative session to help pass Florida's Firearms Preemption Enforceability Bill (HB45). The new law will allow us to hold public officials accountable for violations of state law in their attempts at gun control. We have worked in good faith with jurisdictions and agencies across the state...

Over at Joe’s, Ubu52 makes a comment about the Libertarian desire for small government Isn't the smallest form of government a dictatorship? Is that really what Libertarians crave? The problem here is that, like most people who disdain personal freedom, the concept of ‘small’ is confused with size rather than scope. To a Libertarian or someone like me with a Wookie-suit bent, it doesn’t matter if it’s one person demanding you live your life a particular way or a thousand, it’s the fact...

Tomorrow, CCW holders in Ohio will be able to carry their pistols into places that serve alcohol. Plenty of people are concerned because of the inevitable shootouts over the last of the Coors Light in the pitchers and they have plenty of reasons to be worried. Here in Florida, we’ve been allowed to carry in places that serve booze for ages. My sweet Vishnu, Floridians are even allowed to consume alcohol while packing heat!!! If you want a taste of what Ohio has to look forward to, here’s a...

So, a few weeks ago I was carping about how I couldn’t afford a rifle I had had my eye on for ages. It was an $1800 rifle that I could have gotten for almost 1/3rd the cost but, being debt free, it wasn’t something I had budgeted for and thus was unable to get it. Now, I realize why they were going so cheap Pineville, NC – PARA USA announced today that it was exiting the rifle market to concentrate on its core competency in handguns. CEO Thanos Polyzos said, “PARA has some exciting new...

Well, my mag pouches from Blade-Tech arrived yesterday, so that means I am 100% geared up for my USPSA shoot this Sunday. I’ll be shooting a Smith & Wesson M&P 40 in Limited. Sure, I could shoot Limited 10 and probably not have my ass handed to me, but I’m not really shooting against others right now and I switched from single stack because I got tired of reloading. 15 rounds of 40mm armor piercing military style ammo (sorry, had a bout of MSM there) .40 caliber is better than 8 when...

When I first got into computer programming, I was wanting to write graphics software like Photoshop and 3D Studio Max. At some point, the Interweb became the new hotness and I realized there was good money to be made pretending I knew how the Web worked. Over time, I’ve morphed into a plain old developer writing applications, be they client, web, server, or a mixture of several. My main goals tend to be business apps and nothing that would knock your socks off. Reading this, I realized I...

If I am ever to lose my house, there’s plenty of room for the entire family in my new Midway USA range bag. Holy moly is that thing huge! Enough room for two guns, countless magazines, lots and lots of bullets (which are f’in heavy, by the way), ear & eye pro, band-aids, a Subaru, and some chairs from Ikea. It comes with a bag within a bag for quick trips between stages I assume. The brass bag is also nice to have. While it’s only been handled around the house, it does appear well built...

When one gun control method fails, call it something different and try again. “Barcoding bullets”. Notice how the previous, miserable failures are ignored and the pure emotional drive that “anything that lowers gun violence” is permissible to these bigots. Doesn’t matter who’s rights have to be trampled, so long as murders happen with something besides a gun, it should go sailing through! It’s funny to watch these brain-trusts understand that there’s no chance in hell of these kinds of things...

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today announced the creation of a formal Corporate Sponsorship program to be led by SAF Director of Development Ray Carter. Carter will be tasked with contacting corporate and institutional supporters to build strong alliances to further advance the cause of firearms rights, according to SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb. The Second Amendment Foundation has done historic work for more than 30 years, restoring and...

Cops are right there to beat someone with Downs’ Syndrome senseless because they mistook the bulge of his colostomy bag for a gun. The report said officers spotted a bulge in Powell's waist band and when they tried to pat him down, he tried to flee. Police say Powell broke free as officers tried to place him in handcuffs, hitting his forehead on the ground. There is no legitimate reason for a cop to stop someone simply because of a bulge - it could be an iPod, a cell phone, a multi-tool,...

It’s not two way TV's that will monitor our every move and inform Big Brother, it’s the Internet. Too bad we let our pitchforks rust. Hat Tip Jeff Goldstein, who’s probably on the top of the “Atttaaaaaaacccckk Waaaaaatch” list ...Read More

Well, if I were thinking correctly, I would have made the offer that if I beat both JayG and Caleb’s contributions to the Kilted to Kick Cancer Fundraiser I would have shot my next USPSA match in a pink, frilly dress with a tiara (bonus fairy wings and wand if I had beaten BOTH of their totals combined). Oh, and video’d the whole thing and put it on YouTube. Lucky for me, I didn’t think about it in time. Sorry.

So, poor Blade-Tech had to deal with a complete @$$#@!# (aka Me) bugging them about an order. I picked up some mag pouches for the M&P 40 so I can shoot USPSA on October 2nd (if you’re local to me, why not drop by the match and compete or just say hi? Info here). Blade-Tech’s website says they’ve got a 3 week lead time on some orders, which meant that based on the time I ordered them, it could get really, really close if I’d be able to carry the M&P. I emailed them. Twice. With the...

A bill has been introduced to ban pocket knives from any sort of edumacational campus. Seriously. 20 (2)(a) A person shall not possess any firearm, electric 21 weapon or device, destructive device, or other weapon as defined 22 in s. 790.001(13), including a razor blade or box cutter or a 23 common pocketknife, except as authorized in support of school- ...

Hell, maybe the quote of the year so far. From Walls of the City where Geoffrey Asher is discussing the difficulty he’s had bringing charges against the cops who robbed his house If you can’t understand why no charges will brought against these scumbags, just understand that the Wicked Witch doesn’t smack down her monkeys unless they shit on her hat.

Got my USPSA membership card in the mail yesterday. I’m one, big U! I’m both excited and nervous for my October 2nd competition. I’ve not hit the range in too long, so this will be a trial by fire (pun completely intended). However, documenting my rise to GRAND POOBAH should be fun (and decades in the making!). I’m a decent shot. I’d say that against the pistol shooting population of the world, I’m not too shabby, definitely in the top 30 to 40 %. However, I’m not going against the general...

Say Uncle points to a reporter doing what reporters do best – get the information completely and utterly wrong The other, which has been on the books in various forms since 1994, prohibits the sale of hollow-point bullets and similar ammunition that fragments or explodes upon impact. Which Uncle sagely observes that, no… they don’t. Hollowpoints expand on impact. Usually. What really makes me scratch my head is the concept of why exploding bullets would be a bad idea? The damned things...

Carstairs triple axe murderer Thomas McCulloch allowed out to chop trees Axe murderer Thomas McCulloch has been let loose in public - to chop down trees. He completed a course at a nature reserve where he helped create a pathway by clearing trees and shrubs. … McCulloch went on the rampage with gay lover Robert Mone at the State Hospital, Carstairs, in 1976. Armed with homemade weapons and an axe, they butchered a nurse, a patient and a young policeman I know, let’s GIVE him...

Because crazy doesn’t respect holy ground Officials said the suspect, Jeremiah Fogle, shot and killed his wife, 56-year-old Theresa Fogle, in their home before bursting into the nearby church, opening fire and seriously wounding the pastors in Greater Faith Christian Church, located at 2035 West Parker Street in Lakeland.

A lesbian couple who caused a commotion recently when they refused to conceal their orientation while at Mesker Park Zoo &amp; Botanic Garden were within their rights to do so, but law enforcement and a gay-rights expert questioned why they chose not to conceal their sexuality when asked. … Kajmowicz questioned the women’s motives to display their sexual orientation in an area where children were present, including his own. &quot;They felt like (it was) their right to display it... ...Read More

Gun Shy Tourist has a link to a story about how in Jolly Old England, people defending their lives risk jail time for their act. Despicable isn’t a strong enough word to describe that. And speaking of despicable, the Brady Campaign, who likes to promote themselves as a ‘violence prevention’ group is equally reprehensible as they actively desire that you and your family become victims of violence rather than be able to fight back effectively. When Florida residents were protected by law...

Pepper ain’t so tiny any more. She’s 52# and a good size now. Not much more growing in expected, maybe a bit more weight, but this should be her final size. And yes, she likes to lay down to eat. Lazy bum.

On one side, we have the Democrats that argue we should all pay for abortions. On the other side, we’ve got presidential contenders arguing about Gardisil shots. It’s like the whole decision is based on which side of the cervix you’re more concerned about.

Like pretty much any activity in your life, getting out of practice can leave one rusty. Often we look for substitutions for the activity, but that doesn’t always work the way we hope. Take running for example. Over the summer, I had given up running outside because the heat & humidity made it painful. Instead I took up indoor cycling (aka Spin Class) and hit the treadmill a few times. I was doing spin twice a week and a weight class twice a week (low weight, high rep). The work has paid...

Linoge, once again, does all the hard work of crunching the numbers that the anti-gun bigots like to ignore. There are some interesting data points there and even some that the anti’s could argue for their side, but the single most striking visual is that gun ownership continues to increase but ‘gun deaths’ do not, putting to rest the lie that ‘more guns = more crime’ or whatever it is those factually challenged bigots are always parroting.

From the mailbox The Soldiers’ Angels engraved SIG SAUER 1911 is now up for auction. Thanks to our friends at SIG SAUER and Gunbroker.com, this one-of-a-kind reverse two-tone 1911 is going to help raise funds for Soldiers’ Angels. With this donation, all of your readers can help out Project Valour-IT and purchase a true collector’s piece. Heck, if you didn’t win a gun in Reno, here’s your chance! The auction closes at 9 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, October 23rd. Get your bids in,...

On the way to the wallet raping facility auto mechanic’s this morning, I had just turned out of my neighborhood when the largest dog I had ever seen in my life crossed the road. Had to be 400 pounds, easily. That’s when I realized it wasn’t a dog, but a hog. Folks, I don’t live in the boonies. There’s a small wooded area behind a private school and not much of an area at that That's where the beast came out. And yet there was a massive walking mound of pre-bacon just crossing the street....

Needed an oil change, rear tire was slowly leaking (and still pretty damned new), and yesterday the engine light came on. I had noticed it was running a bit rough and that starting the car could be sluggish, so I figured whatever the light was about, that was it. Holy moly. They just called. The guy said it’d take less time to tell me what wasn’t wrong. Blinker fluid was good and the steering wheel was still round. One of the coils had gone bad, the air filter was clogged, the wobblinrod...

In my last post I said I think I might just make mag holders out of cardboard toilet paper tubes, some staples and duct tape, then look for a diaper bag at a yard sale for the range bag instead. I forgot about the kind of readers I have. Update From Richard at BlueSheepdog.com That should be plenty for USPSA with spares! ...Read More

Midway USA has the range bag I want, has the UpLula but not in stock, and doesn’t carry the magazine pouches I want. Cheaper than Dirt has the UpLula and the Blade-Tech Revolution magazine holders, but both ship from different warehouses and incur double shipping. Blade-Tech, of course, has the best prices on their magazine holders but don’t carry the other things I need so it’s still a third set of shipping to deal with. I think I might just make mag holders out of cardboard toilet paper...

Especially when you can look outside your window and see that the entire building is surrounded by cops, K9 units, and helicopters looking for a criminal with a gun. Nah, it’s better I’m disarmed, sitting here at work because crazy guy could never walk into the building.

I would be remiss if I didn’t report that this past weekend, there was an actual problem at one of the Open Carry fishing events held by Florida Carry. At the Fort Lauderdale event, three deputies arrived as one of our members was packing up. The first words out of the deputy’s mouth were “If you touch your gun, you will get shot.” That was not the appropriate introduction from an officer. Now, the rest of the encounter went smoothly. There were no arrests, no arguments, and most...

Lie, lie, lie, lie, and lie In a September 12, 2011 article for Bloomberg.com, writer John Crewdson has admitted to committing willful perjury in order to obtain a Florida concealed weapon/firearm license, a second degree misdemeanor under Florida statutes. … Before the application could be approved however, Mr. Crewdson had to answer "YES" to question 6, which asks, "Have you received training with a firearm as required by Section 790.06(2)(h), Florida Statutes,...

So this Saturday I hosted Florida Carry’s monthly overtly political, in your face, ‘look at me I crave attention’ Open Carry fishing event at the North Skyway Fishing Pier. This was a change from our normal venue and since the best we’ve been able to do is give an elderly lady the vapors over an AR-15 pistol, we figured we could scare more people at a larger pier. Alas, no luck here either. Now, not only was I trying to be an over-the-top, over-compensating gun owner like I’ve been told, I...

For one, my oldest celebrated her 9th birthday, so it was a day of happiness for our family. Georgia loved her gifts (even Irelyn bought her a doll out of her own money!) and had a great time with the family dropping by. My grandmother was there and gave both girls some diamond studded elephant pendants that she had collected over the years – my grandmother has always collected elephant related items – as something to remember her by. Cake was eaten, presents were open, dinner was consumed,...

You almost feel sorry for the bathtub Homeowner Christopher Barbour, who says he is a friend of 33-year-old KARK weatherman Brett Cummins, told police that he woke up Monday morning and found his friend asleep in his bathtub with a dead man wearing a dog collar lying next to him. Just checked, wasn’t my dog collar.

Met up last night with longtime reader Longhorn Jeff - he of The Wheelbarrow Full of Cash fame - last night at my favorite watering hole, The Tampa Bay Brewing Company. Great guy and to this day it still amazes me that people actually want to meet me rather than just have someone else hand me a restraining order (I mean, how impersonal is that?). Had a great conversation and Jeff also brought and old set of Lord of the Rings books, including The Hobbit, for Georgia since he read how much she...

“What was it?” asked Olivia as she looked up at the hulking man covered in blood and bits of unidentifiable meat. His partner, a squat, rotund woman of later age continued to smile her matronly smile which was made almost obscene by the fact that she too was covered in blood and various fluids and wearing what appeared to be body armor. Her still smoking shotgun was at her side. “Oh, I’d say it was definitely your neighbor, Ms. Arbuckle,” said the woman in her strong, Minnesotan accent. She...

Would still be theft. But in my case, it’s the Gov’t demanding its graft and we all just kind of shrug it off. The Mrs. and I are refinancing our mortgage. We’re dropping 8 years off and lowering the interest by 2 full points. The final savings is over $45,000 in interest for barely $75 more a month, so it’s quite the deal. Of course, in all the costs associated with getting a mortgage, there is nearly one thousand dollars owed to the city in fees. WTF? Again, this is where most people simply...

The IHOP shooting today will have been done with a fully automatic AK74 Assault Weapon purchased at a gun show without a background check by a mentally unstable, Tea Party right wing racist driven to this act by the ravings of Sarah Palin. There. I’ve done all the hard work so the MSM doesn’t have to. ...Read More

TSA agent molests a blogger. Blogger LOUDLY calls her out. TSA Agent Thedala Magee sues for These outbursts in public and writings on the internet have subject my client to hatred, contempt, ridicule, or obloquy, and have injured her in her reputation and her occupation. No person working for the TSA will ever get a kind word form me. No TSA agent will ever be allowed to pass the threshold of my house. I want these jackbooted, blue-gloved thugs of society shamed to the point where...

Almost as bad at projection as anti-gunners Trying to separate the politics from OC is hard to do. 9 out of 10 times people who OC do so as armed activists. They do so for the shock value. They do so for the attention, negative included, that accompanies OC. While they will tell you that they OC for ‘tactical” reason, this is the same crowd who seems to despise formal training, and rarely shoots their OC gun. Ain’t no question that there are some very loud Open Carry people, just like...

I finished Terry Pratchett’s “Small Gods” this weekend (from the list of 100 great Sci-Fi books meme). Great book, and this was my favorite line If you spend your whole time thinking about the universe, you tend to forget the less important bits of it. Like your pants. Amen Brutha

So I open this email from Cheaper Than Dirt and this is what I see Needless to say, I told Dave Ramsey where to stick it in the back of my mind and started reaching for the credit card until I saw this Well… shit.

The only thing that surprises me about this is that I am surprised California could ban lender-initiated home foreclosures, under a proposed amendment to the state’s constitution that would make home ownership a fundamental right. … The Foreclosure Modification Act, a proposed citizen’s initiative, would ban mortgagees from foreclosing on owner-occupied dwellings in the Golden State. It would further require banks and other lenders to help mortgage borrowers struggling amid financial...

Just finished this up for Larry Correia’s MHI Patch contest. Oh, to be written into one of the Monster Hunter series books would be beyond geeky! Click for full size goodiness Tampa means “Sticks Of Fire”, likely due to the amount of lightning we get around these parts. I wanted the stitching to really stand out here. Hopefully I didn’t overdo it with the blood splatters, but I like the fact the patch looks pretty darned realistic for being 100% done in Photoshop. Let me know what...

Debt free, that is I’ve done this single. I’ve done this while trying to convince a girl I was worth marrying. I’ve done this while keeping the wife happy and increasing her standard of living. I’ve done this as a renter. I’ve done it as a homeowner. I’m about to do it as a parent. No matter where you are in your life, you can do this. Just like quitting smoking, though, quitting debt is hard. You have to want it. Not all debt is bad, just 99.999% of it. If you’re starting a business...

Down at the beach with the family this weekend. Just got news that the little girl I've been posting about has passed away. Horrible, horrible news.
I've made sure I've spent the best time possible with my girls so far. One never knows how much time we have left here on this planet, so make the best of what you've got.
For those who have kids, hug 'em a bit tighter tonight. My prayers go out to Darien Engelberger's family in this horrific time.

Sebastian has a post up where the PSH crowd is engaging in, well, PSH because the Pima County GOP is being insensitive and raffling off the very gun used to shoot Rep. Giffords a Glock pistol. To which I replied Would these people have a problem with a car dealer on Chappaquiddick Island raffling off a car? Sad that it makes a funny joke, because it’s totally grounded in reality. What one madman does with a gun / car / shovel / santoku knife has nothing to do with the gun / car /...

My wife just informed me that the little girl I blogged about the other day has slipped into a coma. The doctors found blood on her brain and are not giving her very good odds of recovering. I’m sick to my stomach, and I only knew the girl from seeing her at my daughters’ school. My prayers go to her family.

I meant to get to this story last week, but like many things in my life, it got pushed aside and partially forgotten. Although cleared of shooting charges in a 2007 dispute at a Key Largo trailer resort, a Hialeah man still faces a felony count of carrying the handgun he used to defend himself. Why, pray tell, is this man facing felony charges for a right enumerated in the Constitution? Because he didn’t have a permission slip to do so. Jorge Correa, 44, must return for a November...

I used to think homeopathy was a crock, but I’ve devised a test that proves it’s pretty accurate. I took water and diluted it to 1/1,000,000 its original strength and it still maintained it’s ability to quench thirst.